Early Life and Background
Michael Addamo was born in 1994 in Yallambie, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. As a teenager he played competitive chess, reaching a career-high rating of 1930 at age 19. He subsequently enrolled to study to become an actuary, a profession built on calculating probability and managing risk. He began playing poker in 2012 while at university.
Online, Addamo plays as imluckbox on PokerStars.
He has described the crossover from chess to poker in direct terms: "Chess is a very strategic game, there is also a bit of solve work to do there so it can be quite similar to poker." On what drew him to the game: "I was enticed by the in-depth strategy and intricacies of each spot, and I loved observing the patterns and exploiting my opponent's mistakes."
His first WSOP cashes came in 2016, including a third-place finish in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event. He was largely unknown outside Australia at that point. Within two years he had his first bracelet.
Four WSOP Bracelets: 2018 and 2021
Addamo won all four of his WSOP bracelets across a three-year window, twice claiming two in the same series.
Bracelet 1 (2018): $2,620 Marathon No-Limit Hold'em. $653,000. Las Vegas. He beat a field of 1,637 players.
Bracelet 2 (2018): WSOP Europe €25,500 Super High Roller. €848,000. A second bracelet the same year at the European stop established him on both sides of the Atlantic.
Bracelet 3 (2021): $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller. $1,132,968. Las Vegas.
Bracelet 4 (2021): $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller. $1,958,569. Las Vegas. Two six-figure buy-in wins in the same WSOP, in back-to-back weeks.
Super High Roller Bowl VI: The Streak
Ten days after claiming the 2021 Poker Masters title at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, Addamo returned to the same room and won the $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl VI. He defeated Justin Bonomo heads-up and collected $3,402,000. The run across those ten days, two major titles in the same building, is one of the most compressed dominant stretches in recent tournament history.
One hand during the Super High Roller Bowl run became a widely discussed example of his aggression. In a key spot against Jake Schindler, Addamo put in a large river bluff on a board that connected more strongly with his perceived range than Schindler's, and got the fold in a pot large enough to shift the chip counts materially. The hand was held up as an example of Addamo's willingness to apply maximum pressure in spots most players would treat as closer to neutral.
The SHRB win put him first on Australia's all-time money list, passing former WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem.
Relocation to Thailand
Addamo relocated to Chiang Mai, Thailand, specifically to the Niman neighborhood, which he described as "very nice, very western." The move followed the introduction of online poker restrictions in Australia that made high-volume online play impractical from within the country. Chiang Mai offered infrastructure and time-zone access to the online series he was targeting.
Playing Style and Approach
Addamo is identified as a player with an exceptionally wide bluffing frequency, executed with precise bet sizing. His bluffs and value bets are constructed to appear identical at the point of decision, and his aggression on multiple streets generates pressure other elite players do not match at the same rate. His chess background surfaces in his comfort with multi-street plans that require tracking several variables simultaneously.
At the table, he is known for extreme stillness. Observers describe him as sitting like a statue, not showing an ounce of emotion across hours of play. The physical composure matches a playing style built around removing information leaks: if nothing changes on the outside, opponents have nothing to work with.
He has spoken about the role of solvers: "doing a lot of computer stuff" and "a lot of solvers work" as requirements for competing at high stakes online. He applies the same systematic analysis to live tournaments. His approach to game selection is focused: live and online roughly equally during major series, with volume on the side that offers the best spots.
He is active on X at @michael_addamo.
2024 WSOP Paradise
At the 2024 WSOP Paradise $25,000 Super High Roller, Addamo cashed for $1,600,000, maintaining his standing as one of the most consistent performers in six-figure buy-in events. His most recent documented live cash was in August 2025.
Australia's All-Time #1
Addamo's live tournament earnings of approximately $24.5 million from 132 total cashes give him an average cash value that is among the highest on record for any player with that many results. He surpassed Joe Hachem in 2021 and has held the top position on Australia's all-time money list since.
Tournament Results Highlights
| Year | Event | Finish | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | WSOP $2,620 Marathon NLH (Bracelet #1) | 1st / 1,637 | $653,000 |
| 2018 | WSOP Europe €25,500 Super High Roller (Bracelet #2) | 1st | €848,000 |
| 2021 | WSOP $50,000 High Roller (Bracelet #3) | 1st | $1,132,968 |
| 2021 | WSOP $100,000 High Roller (Bracelet #4) | 1st | $1,958,569 |
| 2021 | Super High Roller Bowl VI ($300,000 buy-in) | 1st | $3,402,000 |
| 2024 | WSOP Paradise $25,000 Super High Roller | Cash | $1,600,000 |
Career Summary
As of May 2026, Addamo holds four WSOP bracelets and ranks first on Australia's all-time money list with live earnings exceeding $24.5 million from 132 cashes. His career-best single cash is $3,402,000 from the 2021 Super High Roller Bowl VI. He won two bracelets apiece in 2018 and 2021. He is currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He is 31 years old.
Earnings current as of May 2026. Sources: Hendon Mob, WSOP.com, Wikipedia, SoMuchPoker.
